Do you know what just happened recently?

I was going through a Thai super market for buying grains and noticed people buying “sweet rice”. You will surely feel puzzled about the name but it is actually the sticky rice, also called the glutinous rice.

So, if you are a grain shopper like me then don’t get confused with the name. As I was saying, I bought two packets of the sticky rice and yes I didn’t regret later.
It was amazing as a quick meal and guess what?

You can prepare it in your rice cooker !!

Now, you are excited to know about the directions, right? But first, let me disclose some must to know facts about sticky rice.

About Sticky Rice

Sticky rice is basically a Japanese rice also known as the glutinous rice. It is specifically used for making Japanese cuisine such as sushi. In south east Asia landscape, the short sort of rice is grown. Also, it carries starch which allows the water to soak in and make the rice juicy.

But surprisingly, it’s not exactly like how it is named. Generally known glutinous rice does not consist any gluten. Yes, you heard it right. It is completely gluten free while illustrating glue like properties. So it is safe for the allergic people as well.

Sticky Rice

Fact – It’s a Holy Grain

You might not know that sticky rice is heavier than the normal white rice on stomach for its glutinous content. In the Buddhist temple, sticky rice is served for the saints and monks because it gives fuller stomach and they eat one meal a day.

How It Differs From White Rice

Distinct from the normal white rice, the sticky rice grains are shorter and carries amylopectin which is water soluble. The amylopectin element is the main subject which delivers the sticky tendency towards sticky rice. However, normal white rice carries amylose and amylopectin too.

When the sticky rice comes closer to the warm water, amylopectin component particles abstractly make the rice itself chewy. Also, it is heavier than the normal white rice when it is cooked.

Now as you have come closer to the mystery of sticky rice, lets jump into the making of sticky rice in a rice cooker.

How It Differs From White Rice

Perks Of The Rice Cooker ”Method

  • Ensures the stickiness
  • Fault proof easier technique and an easy escape from indulging with more steps
  • Requires less time and gives the best result
  • Avoids unwanted cooking fuss such as burning

Now we know why it is a smart choice to pick the rice cooker method when it comes to cooking grains.

Cooking Sticky Rice In A Rice Cooker

Choosing the best quality rice is necessary when it comes to your health. So when you are going to grab a pack of sticky rice, make sure you don’t miss checking out the properties and obviously the quality.

I will suggest you to buy “The New Crop” sweet rice. It ensures health benefits and quality too.

Cooking Sticky Rice In A Rice Cooker

Here’s what you’ll need;

  • A measuring cup
  • 2 cups of sticky rice
  • 2 and a half cups of filtered cold water
  • Half teaspoon salt
  • A stirring spoon
  • A wooden bowl

When you are done owning them in your kitchen, start the making procedure which comes into 4 steps. Check them out below.

Step 1 – The Cleaning

Fill the rice cooker pot with 2 cups of sweet rice (sticky rice grain) and start washing them with your hand. Move your hand upside down while washing and keep changing the water over 3 times. When it looks clean enough, let it rest for at least 40 minutes to 4 hour with water.

What’s in the soak?
There’s a difference between rinsing and soaking. Rinsing is not necessary nowadays as the modern processing technology provides the purification of organic rice. But on the other hand, soaking makes the grain fluffier when it is cooked and shortens the cooking time also.

Step 2 – Cooking

After soaking it for convenient hours, place the rice cooker pot into the cooker, add salt, stir well, plug the rice cooker, close the lid and switch the “on” button.

Step 3 – Timing

If your rice cooker doesn’t offer the smart timing feature which automatically switches into the “warm” mode, then you need to wait for approximate 15 minutes. Halfway of the cooking time, try to open the lid and stir the rice again and dab it with your finger to ensure its consistency.

After exact 15 minutes, turn off the rice cooker and unplug it. Put out the rice cooker pot from the cooker and let it sit for 5 more minutes.

Step 4 – Serving

Get a wooden bowl and pour it with the cooked sticky rice. You can serve it with chicken curry, veggies, mushroom salads etc. Also, you can make the famous Thai desert “Thai mango sweet sticky rice.”

So that’s a wrap! Your sticky rice is finely done using your rice cooker.

Conclusion

Grain is the staple food in many countries. So it is important to acknowledge the facts about various grains. Only then we can measure the values ​​of grains and decide which one to include in our regular meal.

Sticky rice has numerous health benefits and also gives you fuller stomach. Having nutrient elements, it also can be customized with your own recipe.

Hope, you have found the blog enough informative and don’t forget to delight yourself with the sticky rice this season. Tada!